For some artists that’s an eternity. For Martha it’s called “having a life”.
The life included the breakup of her marriage. Fighting for custody of her children. Opening a bistro that became a studio. Having to justify being a female artist who’s also a mother. The feedback was “surely you can’t be both”?
The album is called Love will be Reborn which is exactly what happened to Martha. The songs that followed the writing of the title track reflect exactly what happened in the 5 years between releases. Produced by Pierre Marchand. You just know this is good.
It’s her very best work yet. Songs like Justice, Body and soul, Hole in my heart, and Love will be reborn. We’ll include them all in the podcast.
This conversation is not a Q&A. It’s me engaging Martha and getting the hell out of the way.
“Fearless, untethered arrangements… Wainwright’s fifth LP has artistry galore”
– MOJO ****
On par with Patti Smith’s early work with albums such as “Horses” and Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush”
– The Toronto Star
Martha has a beautiful new collection of songs called Love will be reborn
It’s been 5 yrs. since I last talked to Martha Wainwright. My first question was “how were those 5 years for you”?
She stopped answering almost 10 minutes later. Covered a lot of moments such as a divorce and fighting for the custody of her children. (Justice) All artists should attempt to be this forthcoming.
A marriage falling apart (Hole in my heart) and the title track about belief in herself, seeking & finding a new heart. (Love will be reborn). We’ll also play the wonderful Body and soul
Martha starts her world tour Sunday at a music festival in Nashville. Followed by 2 nights Monday & Tuesday in London. Canadian dates in November.
The complete interview will drop right after The Stew finishes. On the Mulligan Stew Podcast.
And the surrounding playlist includes new music from
On the upside, The Stew has its full two hours of showtime back again.
I do hope you enjoyed this summer’s Festival Radio- Congrats to the Festival Crew.
The September 11th Stew is all music.
The first 90 minutes is a heady mix of
Wicked Grin from John Hammond
Followed by Tom Waits/James Brown/Aretha & Ray Charles.
Then we shift to Jackson Browne/Leonard Cohen/Carlos Santana (with Clapton)
New music from Colin Linden, Mariel Buckley, and next week’s guest Martha Wainwright.
Hour two kicks off with a 16 minute Motown Festival.
Then it’s time to remember and honour The Day – September 11th. Twenty years ago the heart of New York City was broken and horribly damaged.
I’ve gathered a group of songs that reflect how we all felt and how the artists chose to reflect on this tragedy and the lives lost. Frankly, what The World lost.
The Barenaked Ladies 16th album is called Detour de Force. More wordplay from a band that majors in it. Right?
I knew this album would be different when I saw a track written by bassist Jim Creegan called Paul Chambers. Who writes a pop song about a legendary bass player (Kind of Blue) as a metaphor?
Ed himself wrote the amazing Live Well, a song about his childhood filled with his Father’s alcohol abuse and how he overcame the trauma.
The album ends with the outstanding Kevin Hearn track called Internal Dynamo. It’s about planets generating their own magnetic fields. Not your basic pop/rock fodder.
It starts like something Pink Floyd might have left us with but 2:40 into the 5-minute track the music shapeshifts into Rage Against the Machine and then ends with a Beatles White album feel.
Our Special long weekend guest is Ed Robertson from Barenaked Ladies.
‘Detour de Force,’ is Barenaked Ladies’ 16th studio album.
Over the course of 33 years, the Toronto quartet has sold 15 million records worldwide and built up an arsenal of hits such as “If I Had $1,000,000,” “One Week,” “Pinch Me” and “The Big Bang Theory Theme.”
Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Tyler Stewart, and Kevin Hearn are widely acknowledged as one of the best live acts on the planet, BNL has won eight Juno Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Great! Fine! Bang ON. I’ve got another word that I believe defines The Ladies – “admirable.”
Here’s the thing. These guys do NOT sit back on their past hits and success. They all continue to write and refine their songs, vocals, and performing. They push each other to be even better.
Case in point. Three songs from the 14 on Detour de Force
You’ll certainly hear Flip/Good Life/Roll Out
But the three tracks that show the craftsmanship of BNL are
New Disaster – deals with the dark cloud of snarly social opinions.
Paul Chambers – Yup. A song about the legendary bassist who played on and supported Miles Davis etc on Kind of Blue. Jim Creeggan makes him a metaphor.
And then Kevin Hearn contributes Internal Dynamo the last track that starts like Pink Floyd, hangs a hard left into Rage Against The Machine territory, and finishes like something from The Beatles White Album.
Those are the three tracks we’ll play for you on Saturdays Mulligan Stew @ckuaradio. The complete interview with Ed Robertson can be heard on The MulliganStew Podcast
And Hey- the playlist will absolutely get you rocking..
Starts with Elvis, Jerry Lee, Billy Cowsill singing Elvis and Rocket 88 – Live tracks from Elton John, Tom Petty, and the Heartbreakers, Little Feat, and Van Morrison.
New Sue Foley, Los Lobos, Ranch Writers, William Prince, Frazey Ford & Black Keys,
Every once in a while all of the planning goes OUT THE WINDOW.
This week’s Podcast for example.
I always knew there would be a complete interview with Suzie Ungerleider (Oh Suzanna). Her new 10th album is called My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider and the story behind the title tells quite a tale.
The music is the best she’s ever released. So, the complete interview and tracks as well. Suzie closes the podcast.
Also this week, I was doing interviews with Barney Bentall, Colin Linden, and Russell Broom about their involvement in Remembering The Last Waltz. Four nights of celebrating The Band’s Last Stand almost 45 years ago.
Sept 2 & 3 Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Sept 9 & 10 Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Before we shared memories of The Band we talked about the passing of Charlie Watts. Legendary drummer for The Rolling Stones. His effect of The Stones and on us is remarkable considering how quiet and gentle he was. As large and loud as all The Rolling Stones were, it was Charlie that held it all together, on stage and off.
So..we start this Podcast by remembering Charlie Watts, then The Band, and celebrating Suzie Ungerleider. Busy week.
Most Stews have found their shape by this time in the week…
But every week throws something unexpected at you. Like the death of legendary drummer Charlie Watts.
For some music fans, the name Charlie Watts is the last name mentioned in The Rolling Stones line-up.
“and on drums…Charlie Watts”
For me and MANY music fans Charlie Watts was The Stones.
While Keith and Mick and Ronnie were wanking about center stage Charlie was the engine that drove everything.
Keith has said many times, it’s Charlie that I follow. He tells me what and where to play. He gave us all the space to create in.
The voices in this Stew will be
Colin Linden
Russell Broom
Barney Bentall.
Suzie Ungerleider
Colin and Barney are two of the performers in Remembering The Last Waltz. A four-night celebration in Edmonton and Calgary ofthe 45th anniversaryof one of the greatest nights in rock and roll.
Performers also include Jimmy Rankin, Dustin Bentall, and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald. Producer, arranger, writer, musician Russell Broom leads a great band.
Sept 2/3 Jubilee Calgary
Sept 9/10 Jubilee Edmonton
Barney, Colin, and Russell all have strong memories of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and what The Last Waltz meant to them.
(when it first came out Barney saw the film 6 nights in a row)
Vince Ditrich has been a pal for many years. Lives in the neighbourhood but we spend 20 years bumping into each other. Me as a broadcaster and VJ. Vince as the drummer of legendary Celtic/punk band Spirit of the West. SOTW is no more. They lost their leader, the brilliant John Mann to Alzheimer’s. Here’s to you John.
Vince has been writing for years – with an on line column called Random Note Generator. Now comes his first of three books about Tony Vicar. Failed rock star and his crazy circle of friends and enemies.
Enjoy!
Liquor Vicar takes place in a fictional town on Vancouver Island called “Tyee Lagoon”.
Tony Vicar, a life-long local and wannabe rock-star, well past his shelf life for achieving any success, and not particularly musically talented anyway.
He is reduced to DJing rural weddings and for an extra hundred bucks throws in an Elvis impersonation. He becomes dark and cynical at the state of his life and career, but at his worst moment meets Jacqueline O’Neil, known by all as Jacquie O.
He gets a job working at ‘Liquor’, the only liquor store in Tyee Lagoon, owned and operated by a crusty character nicknamed Ross Poutine. Poutine’s trademark mangled grammar and mysterious goat-like odour give him a unique identity in the town.
After a rotten dinner date, the curmudgeonly Vicar and his bubbly date Jacquie come across a terrible car wreck on the road home. Vicar gives aid and everyone present seems to think he has miraculously brought one of the victims back to life. Word gets out about Vicar’s miraculous roadside ministrations and almost immediately he becomes a celebrity; after a little national and international attention his fame skyrockets, leaving him confused and questioning everything about his life. He never saw himself getting famous for THIS reason! It’s the first of three Liquor Vicar books.
We only have 90 minutes this week but that Hour and a half is going to MOVE YOU.
The first 30 include Clapton with Delaney and Bonnie, New Colin James, New Alison Krauss, and Robert Plant, New Los Lobos, New Walk off the Earth with Scott Helman, and old Marvelettes and Ben E King.
Hour two kicks off with New Jackson Browne, New William Prince, and Alison Russell.
LIVE tracksfrom Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Leonard Cohen, and New Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder doing Highway to Hell
We wrap up the last 30 with Toots, Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and salute the birthday of John Lee Hooker with two fine tracks.
The Podcast is with Vince Ditrich. Spirit of the West drummer turned author.
He’s just released the first of three books about failed rock star Tony Vicar called The Liquor Vicar.
The album is called Love will be Reborn which is exactly what happened to Martha. The songs that followed the writing of the title track reflect exactly what happened in the 5 years between releases. Produced by Pierre Marchand. You just know this is good.
This is a rootsy acoustic Dave GoGo but pushed and supported by producer Steve Mariner and great session players.
I knew this album would be different when I saw a track written by bassist Jim Creegan called Paul Chambers. Who writes a pop song about a legendary bass player (Kind of Blue) as a metaphor?
I always knew there would be a complete interview with Suzie Ungerleider (Oh Suzanna). Her new 10th album is called My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider and the story behind the title tells quite a tale.
Liquor Vicar takes place in a fictional town on Vancouver Island called “Tyee Lagoon”.
